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An information summary for supporters of international agricultural research
Published by the INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE Vol. 10 No. 4  December 2000

Rice science that can freely serve the poor

Millions of poor rice farmers and consumers could miss out on important new breakthroughs in agricultural research unless more is done to recognize the special status of rice as the food that feeds most of the world’s needy. This warning has been issued by a leading group of scientists from the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) including its former deputy director general for research, Dr. Kenneth Fischer; geneticist Dr. Hei Leung; World Food Prize laureate Dr. Gurdev Khush; and the Institute’s present director general, Dr. Ronald P. Cantrell. Together with Dr. John Barton, a law professor specializing in intellectual property rights at Stanford University in the United States, the scientists made their call in an article published in the 13 October issue of the American magazine Science.

The scientists called for a new system that would better serve the poor and encourage greater investment and innovation in the rice industry by both the private and public sectors. "The challenge is to develop a shared vision for rice research that will provide the public sector with access to modern scientific tools while at the same time giving sufficient incentives for the private sector to innovate, develop, and deliver new rice technologies," the scientists said. "The human genome project has already developed a pattern for such collaboration in genomics whereby ten pharmaceutical companies and the Wellcome Trust have agreed to fund and create a publicly available archive of human genetic variation. A similar pattern of collaboration is needed in rice."

"While we want to encourage the private sector to invest in research that will help rice farmers and consumers, patent protection should not be allowed to deny poor people access to such much needed modern technologies," Dr. Cantrell said. "What we would like to see is the application of zero royalties for any research product made available to subsistence farmers. However, royalties should be acceptable if the product is aimed at the commercial market, as this will be the only way for private companies to recoup their research investment." In addition to allowing the use of such work in the developing world, it is essential that any data and materials be freely available to researchers. The products of rice research should be considered international public goods that are freely available to poor farmers in developing nations. "But to encourage companies to invest more in rice research, they should be allowed to profit from the use of any such products in commercial rice production in the developed world," Dr. Cantrell added.

The scientists warned that, without such a system in place, public research institutions such as IRRI would find it increasingly difficult to meet the food security needs of the world’s burgeoning population of rice consumers. Another challenge is to increase the productivity of unfavorable rice-producing regions, which account for 40 percent of the rice lands in Asia and most of the rice grown in Africa. "If biotechnology is to have an impact on the lives of the poor, it must focus on the problems in these areas of too much and too little water, soil toxicity, low soil fertility, and inadequate grain quality and nutrition," the scientists said.

IRRI reiterated its commitment to helping farmers reduce the inappropriate use of pesticides and other farm chemicals following the arrival in the Philippines last month of "The People’s Caravan 2000—Land and Food Without Poisons." "Over the past 10-15 years at IRRI, we have been looking at scores of different ways to control pests and diseases, all with the aim of reducing chemical use," IRRI spokesperson Duncan Macintosh explained. "There are friendly insects that we can use as part of biological control strategies, as well as the more efficient use of water and more effective management practices—all these are just a part of what we call integrated pest management."

The People’s Caravan focused on the overuse of pesticides in the rice industry, something which has also concerned IRRI. "At IRRI, we are focused on sustainable increases in production that are not only friendly to the environment but, most importantly, help farmers achieve a better quality of life," IRRI Director General Dr. Ronald P. Cantrell said. IRRI scientists have achieved notable successes in their efforts to help farmers reduce the inappropriate use of farm chemicals. One research effort in Vietnam led to the government deregistering some chemicals for further use. In China the Institute has been able to help thousands of farmers combat a major disease problem without the use of any chemicals at all.

The Institute is also committed to allowing each rice-producing nation in Asia to develop its own policies and laws in relation to biotechnology. IRRI does not seek to promote biotechnology and at present spends less than five percent of its budget on such research. "IRRI seeks only to objectively evaluate the new strategies and options that biotechnology may offer the rice industry and work with its partners in the national agricultural research systems (NARS) of rice-producing nations to see if such strategies are suitable and sustainable in different countries," Dr. Cantrell said.

"While societies in Europe, North America, and Japan have the freedom to debate the pros and cons of their development and consumption of genetically modified organisms, it would be wrong for such debate to impede basic research to study whether such technologies are safe, sustainable, and suitable for rice-producing nations in the developing world," Dr. Cantrell added. "Such countries must be allowed the right to make their own decisions on biotechnology, which they cannot do if access to such technology is denied to them. Food safety is rightly a crucial issue in the biotechnology debate and must be fully addressed and resolved to the satisfaction of all sides. But it is vital that any concerns do not prevent the basic research we will need to answer the very questions such debate will generate. All the questions being raised by the biotechnology debate are far too important for us to guess the answers, or allow them to come from newspaper headlines and Internet campaigns." Dr. Cantrell stressed that IRRI is firmly committed to the concept of international public goods being applied to all the results of the Institute’s research. IRRI did no research sponsored by the private sector or large companies because of this.

The people of East Timor have received one of the best Christmas gifts of all with the arrival of the first seeds that should allow the tiny United Nations protectorate to finally achieve food self-sufficiency. As part of a project called Seeds of Life—East Timor, a wide range of rice, maize, cassava, bean, potato, sweet potato, and peanut varieties were planted in December in different farming districts. All the seeds were advanced varieties specially selected for East Timor. Five scientific centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and two nongovernment organizations pooled their resources to organize the special Christmas treat with funding from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). One of the CGIAR centers involved was the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Dr. Edwin Javier, the coordinator of the International Network for the Genetic Evaluation of Rice (INGER) at IRRI, sent to East Timor 15 varieties of irrigated rice, 11 varieties of rainfed lowland rice, and 13 varieties of upland rice as part of the Seeds of Life effort. The other CGIAR centers involved are the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the International Potato Center (CIP), and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

Switzerland is to extend $2.8 million in funding assistance to the ongoing Lao-IRRI Rice Research and Training Project. The project, now in its fourth phase, will assist in the development of an independent and sustainable rice research capability in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The Swiss funding support is detailed in a memorandum of agreement recently signed between the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and IRRI. Mr. Joseph Deiss, head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, visited IRRI recently when the Lao project was discussed. The SDC funds major IRRI initiatives such as the Rice Integrated Pest Management Network that helps minimize the use of chemicals in rice farming and the project Reversing Trends of Declining Productivity in Intensive Irrigated Rice Systems that involves the national agricultural research systems of Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The establishment and operation of an IRRI-Korea Office (IKO) will strengthen the capability of the country’s national agricultural research system in rice research, development, and production. The Rural Development Administration (RDA) of Suwon, Republic of Korea, is funding the IKO under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) it signed with IRRI during the recent International Centers’ Week in Washington, D.C. IRRI Director General Ronald P. Cantrell and RDA Administrator Eun-Long Lee signed the MOU. There are 11 IRRI liaison offices around the world, mostly in Asia. The MOU, under which the IKO will be established, will boost IRRI-RDA scientific and technical collaboration in research and training on temperate irrigated (japonica) rice ecosystems in four major areas: varietal development and improvement for cold and salt tolerance, good grain quality, better yield, and pest resistance; biotechnology, direct seeding, and other improved production techniques; technology transfer and information sharing and policy support; and human resource development.

Korea plays a major role in improving rice biodiversity through the International Network for the Genetic Evaluation of Rice (INGER). More than 174 Korean breeding lines and varieties have been used as donor parents in 26 countries for hybridization with local varieties. Korea has also benefited immensely from the productive partnership with IRRI during the past 36 years. Since 1975, Korean scientists have been seconded to IRRI’s Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biochemistry Division to improve Korea’s rice breeding program. Nine Korean scientists are now at IRRI. Korea, through RDA, has contributed around US$4.3 million to IRRI’s research programs and activities since 1979.

In an important initiative, IRRI has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Confederation of ASEAN Journalists (CAJ). The MOU calls for the strengthening of CAJ-IRRI collaboration through training, better access to information, and the building of greater public awareness of the importance of rice research and production. The MOU was signed at the CAJ’s 13th General Assembly and Press Convention in Singapore from 23 to 25 October 2000. Dr. William G. Padolina, IRRI’s deputy director general for partnerships, and Ivan Lim, CAJ president, signed the MOU. The other CAJ cosignatories were Secretary General Norman Suratman, Permanent Secretary Abdul Razak, the Indonesian Chairman Tarman Azzam, the National Union of Journalists-Malaysia President Norila Mohd Daud, National Press Club of the Philippines President Antonio Antonio, Vietnam Journalists Association President Hong Vinh, and Lao Journalists Association President Bouaban Vorakhoun.

The MOU will ensure greater rice-related training opportunities for all CAJ members as well as special status as attendees at IRRI-sponsored international or regional events and conferences. In terms of training, the Institute is committed to helping media organizations across Asia provide the most up-to-date and accurate information available on the rice industry. The CAJ, in return, will encourage greater reporting of rice-related issues and assist IRRI in getting its message out to its many different stakeholders such as farmers, other researchers, government officials, and the general public. The MOU will be implemented through work plans to be developed jointly by IRRI and CAJ in accordance with their respective priorities and subject to the financial resources available for cooperative activities.

In commenting on the new MOU, IRRI Director General Ronald P. Cantrell stressed that, "In the coming years, partnerships with the media will only become more important. Partnerships, of course, imply teamwork and mutual work for mutual benefit: IRRI needs the media to help communicate with its different audiences, and we hope the media need IRRI to supply factual and objective information on the single most important industry in Asia to the general public." He said the signing of the MOU with the CAJ was only one part of IRRI’s efforts to form closer ties with the media in Asia. He also voiced support for more visits to IRRI by journalists and educational tours of rice-producing regions by members of media from developed countries. IRRI is also working closely with the Asia Rice Media Advocacy Network, an organization composed of journalists and media professionals with a strong interest in writing about rice.

IRRI, in pursuing its mission of undertaking rice research that benefits poor farmers and consumers worldwide, has had the full cooperation of the government and national agricultural research system of Thailand for the past 40 years. IRRI has about 40 collaborative projects with Thailand. The intensive research activities at the Ubon and Samoeng rice research centers in Thailand and the respective key sites of the rainfed lowland rice and upland rice research consortia will be extended to other national rice research systems. The other projects involve the IRRI-coordinated International Network for the Genetic Evaluation of Rice (INGER), hybrid rice, integrated pest management, and biotechnology. Today, Thailand plays an important role in sustaining food security as the largest rice exporter of the world.

To mark the 40 years of partnership between the Institute and Thailand, the IRRI Liaison Office in Bangkok sponsored three major events on 17-18 November 2000. An IRRI-Thailand Rice Research Seminar was held at Kasetsart University on 17 November with the theme 40 years of Thai-IRRI collaboration and partnership in the new millennium. The director general of the Department of Agriculture (DOA), Mr. Ananta Dalodom, delivered the opening remarks. About 60 scientists, agricultural researchers, academics, and DOA officials attended the seminar.

In his speech on Partnerships in rice research for the new millennium: toward sustainable development, IRRI Deputy Director General for Partnerships Dr. William G. Padolina underlined the importance of technology cooperation as a special form of partnership. This is illustrated by the success of INGER, which, for the past 25 years, has facilitated the unrestricted, free, and safe flow of rice germplasm across all geographical and political boundaries. Dr. Padolina said, "Rice productivity increased in many countries using INGER materials. The major beneficiaries are countries with less developed research infrastructure such as Vietnam, Myanmar, and Cambodia."

A rice exhibition at the Pathum Thani Rice Research Center featured IRRI-Thai collaboration in germplasm collection and use, varietal improvement, rice biotechnology, production technology and farming systems, crop protection, farm machinery, and training and technology transfer.

Dr. Alberto Barrion, senior associate scientist of the Entomology and Plant Pathology Division of IRRI, was named Outstanding Local Scientist for 2000 by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Dr. Barrion received the award, consisting of a plaque and a cash prize, at the CGIAR centers’ meeting in Washington, D.C., on 26 October 2000. Recognized as one of the top entomologists in Asia, Dr. Barrion is also an acclaimed araneologist, taxonomist, research scientist, and teacher/trainer. As a scientist at IRRI, Dr. Barrion led the development of illustrated, easy-to-use insect identification kits for rice pests and their natural enemies, which have now become an important tool for rice scientists, technicians, crop protection specialists, biodiversity researchers, ecologists, and integrated pest management (IPM) experts, as well as biology and zoology students. He has also made outstanding scientific and technological contributions to the fields of systematics and the biology of rice and rice-based arthropods, especially insect pests and their natural enemies. Dr. Barrion’s contributions have benefited both national and international programs in areas such as IPM, biodiversity, and pest modeling. More importantly, his work provided crucial and accessible information to small and resource-poor farmers. His work on friendly insects has significantly contributed to the scientific framework for eco-rational pest management with naturally occurring and diverse communities of biocontrol agents that maintain and regulate rice insect pests and increase farm profits without the use of ecologically disruptive insecticides. His work is well documented in more than 150 publications.

The University of London has conferred the Doctor of Science degree on Dr. K.L. Heong of the Entomology and Plant Pathology Division of IRRI based on his distinguished record of publications. His published work contains original contributions to new scientific knowledge in entomology and plant pathology. Early in 2000, Dr. Heong submitted 68 of his publications that dealt with ecological and sociological aspects of integrated insect pest management to a panel of University-appointed examiners. The publications reflected Dr. Heong’s work done at IRRI in using sociological frameworks to add value to ecological research and outlining new paradigms, methodologies, and applications in solving pest management problems in rice production. Dr. Heong joined IRRI in 1988 as an insect ecologist and was later appointed integrated pest management coordinator. His work has contributed to the reduction in farmers’ insecticide use in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. The degree he received is the first academic award to an IRRI scientist based on his work in the Institute.

1999 Program Report now available online

The annual IRRI Program Report, which provides a record of recent achievements, is now available online internally and externally, respectively, at http://www.irri.org/irrihome/99ProgramReport/99programreport.htm

and http://www.cgiar.org/irri/99ProgramReport/99programreport.htm. The Program Report is intended to account to donors and to make available to rice researchers worldwide current information about the outcome of activities in the Institute's work plan. The Report includes detailed discussions on selected research projects undertaken by the Institute during 1999, plus progress in the impact programs that interconnect with the research programs. Projects not reported on in detail are listed at the end of each program section with point summaries of accomplishments that were gleaned from the April 2000 Report of the Director General. The printed copy of the report will be available this month.

The proceedings of the workshop Plant Variety Protection (PVP) for Rice in Developing Countries: Impacts on Research and Development, held at IRRI headquarters 16-18 February 2000, is online in pdf format internally at http://irriwww.irri.cgiar.org/IRRIHome/PVP/PVPindex.html and externally at http://www.cgiar.org/irri/PVP/PVPindex.html. This set of papers represents a wide spectrum of topics related to PVP written by experts in the field of intellectual property and PVP. The objective is to make this information a publicly available reference to document the establishment of PVP regimes in individual nations.

A research paper (Lucas MP, Pandey S, Villano R, Culanay DR, Obien SR. 1999. Characterization and economic analysis of intensive cropping systems in rainfed lowlands of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. Experimental Agriculture 35:211-224) authored by IRRI staff and collaborating national agricultural research systems scientists garnered the Philippines Department of Agriculture Secretary's Award. The paper reports on work done as a part of the Rainfed Lowland Rice Research Consortium research at Mariano Marcos State University, Batac, Ilocos Norte. The award comes under the Agriculture and Fishery Modernization Act Research Paper Awards (Published Category) and included a plaque and a P50,000 cash prize.

IRRI welcomes a new staff member, Dr. Abdelbagi Ismail, plant physiologist in the Crop, Soil, and Water Sciences (CSWS) Division. Before joining IRRI, he was a teaching and research assistant at the University of Khartoum, Sudan, and a postgraduate plant physiologist at the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Ismail specializes in the stress physiology of plants.

IRRI conducted the Multi-Agents Systems (MAS) for Natural Resources course from 20 November to 1 December. The course introduced MAS and reviewed the state of the art in applying MAS to several key scientific disciplines, with emphasis on natural resources management (NRM) issues. The participants were able to develop their own simple MAS application by constructing and operating a MAS on a topic of their choice, and identified future opportunities for developing the use and application of the MAS approach to key NRM issues in the region. Eighteen participants from Thailand, India, Indonesia Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Sudan attended the course organized and sponsored by the Ecoregional Initiative for the Humid/Subhumid Tropics of Asia [Ecor Asia (I)]; IRRI (Cross-Ecosystems Research Program and Training Center); Coopération Francaise (CF), Southeast Asia Regional Cooperation Office; Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD), France; Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR); and the Institut de recherche pour le développment (IRD), France.

IRRI, headed by liaison scientist Mr. Mahyuddin Syam, participated in the Exhibition of Technology Innovation for Food Crops sponsored by the Central Research Institute for Food Crops (CRIFC) on 16-17 November 2000 at the Ministry of Agriculture in Jakarta. The exhibition aimed to communicate CRIFC findings to stakeholders and policymakers, and to encourage them to support national food security and agribusiness development concerns. The IRRI booth featured IRRI publications, posters, leaf color chart (LCC) manuals, handouts, leaflets about IRRI-Indonesia cooperation, facts about IRRI, and information on newly released IRRI rice lines that are resistant to tungro and brown planthopper. The LCC manual proved to be a crowd favorite because of its simplicity and usefulness. Researchers, students, and entrepreneurs attended the exhibition.

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